The review by the U.S. Coast Guard of the security and safety procedures for tanker transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through Boston Harbor was “eminently reasonable” in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes, says a London expert, but he believes the tankers would pose a “very tough target for terrorists.”

The LNG tankers “are exceptionally robust, with their gas-bearing tanks located within a double-hull configuration that gives enormous protection from high-energy impacts on the outer hull,” said John Gyles, general manager of the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO), in response to written questions that were submitted by NGI.

The “strength of their design was amply demonstrated when the ‘El Paso Paul Kaiser’ grounded on rocks at high speed near Gibraltar in 1979. There was massive damage to the ship’s bottom structure but absolutely no penetration of the inner hull and gas containment system — the entire cargo of LNG was recovered,” he noted.

“…[T]here has never been an uncontrolled release of gas from [an] LNG tanker, nor has there ever been a catastrophic failure of penetration of a tanker’s containment system.” Gyles acknowledged that a deadly accident occurred with LNG in Ohio many years back, but he noted that involved “land-based storage of liquefied gas,” not LNG that was being transported.

“The key fact of life about these ships is that they are, indeed, very safe if they are operated by properly trained and responsible people,” he said.

Nevertheless, Gyles said the decision by the Coast Guard in Boston to temporarily halt LNG shipments through Boston Harbor was understandable following the “diabolical terror” of Sept. 11. They needed to be “satisfied that civilians are not placed at undue risk from ruthless and determined attackers” who might view LNG tankers as enviable targets.

The Coast Guard on Tuesday lifted the three-week ban on LNG tanker traffic in the harbor, clearing the way for Distrigas of Massachusetts to once again receive shipments at its Everett, MA, terminal (See Daily GPI, Oct. 17). It cited safety concerns when it imposed the freeze on shipments in late September, pointing out that the harbor borders Boston’s financial district and a number of communities.

Since then, the Coast Guard, along with various local, state and federal agencies, has instituted a number of additional precautionary measures to ensure the safety and security of the LNG shipments as they move through the harbor and off-load at the terminal, but local concerns reportedly haven’t been entirely quelled.

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